Lets talk about Outer Confidence

One of my passions is equipping young girls with tools that will help them to conduct and value themselves as treasures and present themselves effectively anywhere in the world. The following tips will help girls develop strong confidence.

When a young girl displays outer confidence it shows the world, that she is self assured and has a strong sense of who she is.  Last week I wrote about inner confidence namely self love, self knowledge, clears goals and positive thinking. When a girl has strong inner confidence it is manifested outwardly. Outer confidence can be acquired and taught outside the home, in particularly at school and through after school activities. Below are the following signs that a young girl has outer confidence skills.

Communication

A confident girl will listen accurately, calmly and be empathetic to other people. She will be able to make small talk with all people and of all backgrounds. A confident girl will be able to speak in public without feeling inadequate. Kelechi was such a girl. She was a good communicator and was the type of person that everyone liked. Not only was she kind but she also listened to her friends and helped them solve their issues. She stood up to bullies on behalf of others and she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. How can we help young girls communicate better? Why not strike a conversation with them. Ask them how their day went or ask them to describe what they did in school?  Help them to be aware of other people’s body language and tone of voice when communicating. Teach them to wait their turn when others are speaking and not to interrupt.

Assertiveness

An assertive girl knows that the world is an ok place. She knows that she is just as important as anyone else in it and has a right to success and happiness. A girl that displays assertiveness skills is self assured. She is neither aggressive nor passive. She knows her rights and speaks up when she needs to. An assertive girl gives and receives compliments easily. She doesn’t break down when given criticism because she knows that feedback does not define her. We can teach our girls to know their rights and speak up. Also as assertive girl should learn how to ask effectively for what she wants. A girl should be able to give and take compliments assertively and cope with criticism. She should not be crushed by the slightest remark.

Self Presentation

Unfortunately the world does judge on appearance. We shouldn’t focus too much attention on self presentation to please and impress others but girls should be taught to look after themselves. When you look good, you feel good.  As a girl grows older give her choices of what clothes she wants to wear.  This will help her express her own individuality and style. When a girl has good self presentation, she will know the dress styles and colours that suit her. She gains credibility by making a good first impression because she knows how to look the part. She will be comfortable in her own skin.

Emotional Control

When a girl has good emotional control she trusts herself. She takes on more risks because she is not afraid of failure. She can openly express her emotions whether she is happy or sad and knows how to cope effectively. She is able to let her hair down without being so bothered about how she is perceived. A girl with good emotional control will seek out friendships that give her deep joy love and happiness. We need to help young girls manage their emotions.  We can start by teaching a girl that she does have a right to feel any emotion but to take responsibility for them.

None of these skills happen overnight but with guidance from adults, we will raise strong confident girls.